science

The Mallee-Fowl

The Mallee-Fowl is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand The Mallee-Fowl rather than just read about it. In short: The Mallee-Fowl is a book published by Angus & Robertson in 1962, with the subtitle The Bird that Builds an Incubator. It was authored by Australian ornithologist Harry Frith.

Key takeaways

The Mallee-Fowl belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect The Mallee-Fowl to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of The Mallee-Fowl from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Mallee-Fowl is a book published by Angus & Robertson in 1962, with the subtitle The Bird that Builds an Incubator. It was authored by Australian ornithologist Harry Frith. It was issued in octavo format (224 x 140 mm), containing 148 pages, bound in dark red cloth with a dust jacket illustrated by a photograph of a malleefowl. The book contains numerous black-and-white photographs by the author, and is dedicated to "Joe" (one of the subjects of Frith's research). The book was reviewed in the Emu by Jack Jones (as J.J.), who says:

"The Mallee-Fowl" is an important work in Australian ornithology. It is the first book for public appraisal of a life history obtained by extensive and methodic research in field and laboratory. Its subject – an extraordinary bird species now moving towards rarity through man's indifference – requires such a public book in support of a major and urgent conservation task revealed. The research was done by Frith during 1951 to 1958, at first in private week-end activity, then as a project of the Wildlife Survey Section (now the Division of Wildlife Research, of which Frith is the Chief) of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), with assistance at times by colleagues." "The Mallee-Fowl" is subtitled "The Bird that Builds an Incubator". Frith's research was centred on the incubating mound in methodic enquiry of cycle and control; and from that real dominance the enquiry circled out to obtain and collate the remaining substance of life history into relativity, including conservation problems in predation, grazing and clearing for farming. Development of census methods was a necessary corollary. The book bears the research accent by being concerned mainly with life-history detail and gaining of knowledge. It also includes adequate comparison with the other Megapode species, notably the Brush-Turkey and Jungle-Fowl; it speculates briefly on the origin and development of mound incubation in an arid climate; and concludes with a succinct chapter of emphatic appeal for conservation of the Mallee-Fowl."

References

Notes

Sources Frith, H.J. (1962). The Mallee-Fowl. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. J. J. (1963). "Review of "The Mallee-Fowl" by H.J. Frith". Emu. 62 (4): 267–268. doi:10.1071/MU962267.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Mallee-Fowl

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Mallee-Fowl claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to The Mallee-Fowl before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about The Mallee-Fowl ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of The Mallee-Fowl

In research: The Mallee-Fowl appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses The Mallee-Fowl in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: The Mallee-Fowl is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1962 non-fiction books, Angus & Robertson books, Books about Australian birds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Mallee-Fowl outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study The Mallee-Fowl in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what The Mallee-Fowl means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain The Mallee-Fowl out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is The Mallee-Fowl in simple terms?

The Mallee-Fowl is a book published by Angus & Robertson in 1962, with the subtitle The Bird that Builds an Incubator. It was authored by Australian ornithologist Harry Frith.

Why does The Mallee-Fowl matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study The Mallee-Fowl?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on The Mallee-Fowl.